Project Summary/Abstract The Laboratory will maintain accreditation to ISO/IEC 17025 and enhance the chemical and microbiological accreditation scopes. The Laboratory?s accreditation currently includes 11 microbiological methods for food testing, 18 chemical methods for food testing, and flexible/technology-based accreditation for pesticide residues in food by GC and LC instruments with a variety of detectors. The Laboratory intends to expand its accreditation scope by adding heavy metals testing (arsenic and lead in candy, rice, rice products; metals in bottled water), additional microanalytical filth analyses, allergen testing, and Staphylococcus enterotoxin testing. The addition of heavy metals and allergen testing will increase the Laboratory?s capacity as these are tests not currently performed at NCDA&CS. The Laboratory and NC Food Program have a strong collaborative relationship since they are housed within the same Division of the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The Laboratory and Food Program will continue to strengthen their partnership by collaborating on the Sample Collection and Analysis Project included in this cooperative agreement. As the primary servicing laboratory for the Food Program, enhancing the Laboratory?s scope offers increased support to the Food Program?s ability to take regulatory action. Page 1 of 1